What is ICO?

Image Format Description

ICO is the file extension for the Microsoft Windows icon image file format. It is used to store icons for Windows programs, files, and folders.

Different operating systems have different icon formats as they like to use their own. Consequently, Microsoft Windows uses its ICO format for its icons. These icons are the ones that are used for displaying various programs and the small website images that are seen on the browser.

The icon image data consists of two bitmaps – the AND bitmap (this is first applied to determine which part of the image is transparent), and XOR bitmap (this contains the icon and is applied later onto the AND bitmap to allow for transparencies in the image). But the PNG format of Windows Vista 256x256 pixels, does not contain the AND and the XOR bitmaps. It encodes the image transparency data directly.

ICO files can be opened and converted to other formats with Factory Image Converter.

Wit of the day

Under ordinary circumstances, bad art naturally gets sorted out and disappears. That is how history works when it is left alone to do its job. The paradox of the culture wars is that they have made celebrities out of some artists who would otherwise vanish.